The sands ran coolly over my feet, the desert ground lighted only by the moon and moved only by the soft wind. I reached the marble steps of a long forgotten temple, worn away by the sands of time, resting hidden among the cool desert night. The stars shined down upon the temple sadly, as if empathizing with the forgotten.
Within the temple, centered perfectly, was a tall statue of an elegantly etched woman reaching up to the sky. Her finger tips nearly reached the painted stars that scattered all over the ceiling. Her feathered wings were widely out stretched and seemed to be poised to take flight, yet remained restrained by mere will power. At her feet lay a small pond dust ridden water, tainted by the year uncared for.
The woman’s face was soft and gentle, her eyes staring desperately to the endless drawn night. Tears were held aloft in the corner of her eyes despite the fact that they were not etched. Her long, toga-like dress fell loosely over her, framing her every curve with a delicate touch. The toga was similar to that of the mortals’, but the back hung low so that the wings could fly freely from behind. The only other difference was the color, though the white marble was not painted to show this.
Engraved on the wall that held the pond was the story of the woman who was to forever stand within the temple. The smooth, yet dust covered letters read: “Navanya is the Mother Goddess. Goddess of and for the People. Goddess of the Wind. Wife of Xenonva and Mother of Vestria. Navanya is the pure sprit of a mother, who stayed with her child, Goddess of the Seas, even at the cost of losing place by her husband, King of the Sky and all Gods.”
I let the words role off my tongue as I read them aloud to the silent room. I kneeled down so that I was eye level with Navanya’s feet and bowed with eyes closed. I said my thanks for all Navanya had done in my life, for her constant presence. I looked up lightly and reached over to dip my hand into the pond and brought it back to my head, letting the water cool my face. The water was rough and sticky but it was my responsibility to show my respect for Navanya.
As I stood I finally peeled my eyes away from the statue to take heed of the rest of the temple. Wandering around the room, I swiped off the dust that had collected on my teal toga, noticing the mosaic beneath my feet. The mosaic was as big as the room and depicted waves and the wind being controlled by the skies. The columns that marked the entrance were as ornate as the rest of the building, everything swirled as if the wind had been frozen in stone. Torches lined the walls and columns but had burned out long ago.
Slowly I walked around in a circle, gently waving my hand over each torch to summon up the fire I had no control over. As soon as a spark appeared I quickly said my thanks to the God of the Sun for allowing me to summon his power for my own use. Finally the temple was completely lit and I could see the light blues and whites that colored everything, adding a soft, wind-like air to the place. Though it was abandoned and dusty, it was easy to picture the temple alive and full of people who were there for the simple act of being there.
“So this is where You run away to.” The voice echoed through the marble stone, warming the whole temple with its strong, self imposed power. The voice was as recognizable as the light of the sun, either there within sight or hiding on the other side of the world.
I turned back slowly so that I could face the temple opening, praying that the one now there would not take heed of how invading his presence made me feel. He was leaning against a column, the desert night painted behind him like a back-drop. The toga he wore was the same as Navanya’s, but it was dyed a rich, warm gold that shined brightly against the seemingly dull colors of everything around him. His eyes were a dull gold that shined out from his softly etched features that were framed by his rich blonde hair that was loosely tied back. Behind him, his out stretched wings gently folded in as he stepped forward.
“What are You doing here?” I asked grudgingly, holding my breath as I waited for his answer. Ignoring me, he went up to Navanya and carried out the same procedures as I had only minutes ago. While I waited for him to finish his prayers, I moved back over to stand by him, bowing my head once more to Navanya.
“You see, I heard all Your prayers of thanks and decided to come and see what was happening.” He stood, facing me with a certain deliberant attitude that all Gods had about them. My eyes slowly drifted to the torches that I had lit with the power of the Sun God, the power of the God now in front of me.
“Avo, You and I both know that hear every prayer said in your name.” I knew very well that stating this fact would get me nowhere, but I wanted to try to get him to state his purpose clearly. In truth, I shouldn’t have said my thanks if I wanted to be sure of no discovery, as I Goddess I had permission to tap into any other Gods domain without previous consent. However Mother always taught me to say my thanks, because Gods tended to have conditions for afterward.
“I can hear anything under the Sun as long as I chose.” Avo looked over me gently and started to move towards me. As he stepped closer I stepped back, running into the cool marble wall behind me. Avo looked away, trying to hide his sad smile and the dimmed sun that always remained within his eyes.
“I suppose this is the only temple that shows Your Mother as She really was.” His eyes left me for a few seconds to gaze around the temple, but soon rested back on me. Avo held out his arms so that I may take comfort, though I had already overtly turned away from him.
All my life Avo had been by my side, a light the lit all my darkened days. It was too natural for me to fall back in his arms, like how leaves fell to the wind. Despite my stubborn self, I’d always allow my guard to crumble at the warmth of his Sun. No matter what, he was the only person in my life I was sure of, the only one I could care to trust.
“I’m sure You miss Your Mother more than anyone could possibly imagine. You and Your Mother were close and that could never be replaced, especially within only three years. No one really expects You to just forget about Her.” Avo whispered his sweet magical words in my ear as he slowly patted my feathered wings. Shaking my head clear of his words, I pushed myself away so that I could face him equally.
“Avo, the other Gods are not quite as accepting as You are. They expected me to be over this within seconds of it happening; even the mortals only allow a year or so to mourn. There are no exceptions, even for a Goddess.” Though my voice remained even, I was breaking apart inside. As a Goddess I was supposed to be a figure of pure omniscient force, feared by all mortals who walked these lands. However my constant mourning ruined my imagine of invincibility.
“Technically I am still in mourning as well. Not even Fate can control other’s emotions.” Avo’s smile was soft and sweet as he held up the tip of his toga, which was dyed a deep black to represent mourning. I looked back down to where my own turquoise toga fell to the floor, the tip stained black as my trust.
“Right, if Fate really controlled everything Mother would not have suffered as She had. Although if Fate had no control I would at least hope Father would have taken some kind of action.” My voice was bitter and mistrusting as the words of hate flew from my mouth with no disregard. Fate had been behind the misfortune of Mother, but it was Father who had let it happen, which was just as unforgivable.
“I suppose my words are pointless if they fall on corrupted ears. But let me ask one thing, since You seem to be too stubborn to change course. Tell Navanya that I send my best wishes, for You are surely chasing after Her, even to Your own death.” His eyes held a pity greater than I had ever met with. I could no longer distinguish whether other’s pity was false or if Avo was simply the only one who had completely grasped my situation. Either way his words were harsh and stung at my already bleeding heart.
Avo turned back to Navanya and respectfully bowed before disappearing back into the night. Once he was gone from sight, so was the warmth he had carried with him. Now the air was as chilly as the cold stones that surrounded me.
With slow, heavy steps I made my way to the filth ridden pound at Mother’s feet. I kneeled down, tracing the inscriptions and my name over and over hoping that the writing would prove false. But no matter what I was always going to be Vetstria, Goddess of the Seas, Daughter of Navanya and Xenonva. I was always the child who held onto her mother’s feet, so that she could not stay where she belonged.
I laid my head against the cold stone, letting my light brown hair that seemed to have a clear taint of blue, fall into the tainted water, sending out small ripples. As the ripples spread through the pond, they glowed and purified the water so that the marble bottom was visible. I felt obligated to thank someone, but that would have been as pointless as Avo coming to comfort me.
